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Kentucky – Part 2

Driving through Kentucky’s back roads we saw several of these signs and we wondered if this really meant we’d see a horse and buggy.

Turns out, yes, we did see a horse and buggy…just driving down the road in front of us. Luckily, there was nobody else out here so it was easy to pass.

Our first stop for the day, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, was actually just over the Kentucky border in Dover, Tennessee. According to the National Park Service (NPS), “The North’s first major victory of the Civil War came with the surrender of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862. After two days of hard fighting, General Buckner felt compelled to accept General Grant’s ultimatum for an unconditional and immediate surrender.”

Entrance to Fort Donelson National Battlefield Park

The park preserves much of the original battle site, including the river batteries and the eroded remains of the fort.

This monument is near the entry of the park
The river batteries
“Gun positions – The four in this section of the water batteries are some of the first structures built to defend the river. The Confederates mounted three 32-powder cannon here but moved them before the gunboat attack. From this position they could not be effective against the ironclads.” – NPS
“Powder magazine – These earthworks are the remains of the powder magazine for the Upper River Battery. Accounts from the period contain no information about its size, shape, or manner of construction.” – NPS

While we were exploring this area, these two men were having an in-depth discussion about what the Confederates should have done differently to win the battle. They spoke as if the battle happened recently, instead of almost 150 years ago.

If you visit, be aware that information, passport stamps, and a video about the history of this location is located across the street at a temporary site.

Our next stop was Hopkinsville.

This was the town that Joel’s mom grew up in. He remembers visiting his grandparents as a kid. We were able to visit the home she grew up in during the 1940s.

Joel checking out the old house
A view of the house from another angle

After checking out the old family home we drove over to the town’s visitor center. Here we were told that Ebonite, a bowling ball manufacturer located in Hopkinsville, is the largest producer of bowling balls in the world. The company produces 2,500 bowling balls per day, which amounts to 600,000 bowling balls each year. Who knew?

Hopkinsville Visitor Center

Our last stop for the day was Paducah, Kentucky. We came here because Paducah is about halfway between Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO, so it was an ideal place to stop for the night. We weren’t expecting much but we found it to be a really cute town with great restaurants and friendly people.

We were surprised to learn that the town was laid out by explorer William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame).

Our hotel, the 1857, was a completely renovated inside this old building (built in 1857). It was in a great location close to everything.
Paducah is at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers
This town was an important stop for the railways heading from Chicago to the Gulf
Paducah has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of craft and folk art since November 2013. In 1996 they began the Paducah Wall to Wall mural program – there are about 50 murals in town.
Paducah was also part of the Trail of Tears, the result of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, which saw Native Americans move west to Indian Reservations in great numbers.
Downtown is charming and walkable
Markers showing the height of the Ohio River floods in the city
Flood markers in downtown Paducah

The main attraction in Paducah is the National Quilt Museum. “The National Quilt Museum is the world’s largest and most prestigious museum devoted to quilts and fiber art.” – Kentucky Tourism.

We read a quote from the St. Louis Dispatch, “It’s not unlike going to the art Museum in Chicago…it’s so unexpected.” We have to agree. It felt very much like looking at works of art. We spent so much more time here than we expected to.

“Allegretto” by Katie Pasquini Masopust of Fortuna, CA – 37”x72” – 2008

Katie Pasquini Masopust – “I enjoy painting without any inhibition, then searching that painting for a perfect little composition that I can enlarge and make into a quilt. Sometimes I make a painting, then a quilt of that painting, then a portion of the quilt become the inspiration for another painting, and that painting may hold another composition for a quilt. I like moving back and forth between the two.”

There was a whole display of miniature quilts

Miniature quilts
Miniature quilts
“Cigar, in Front” by Shirley P. Kelly – 14 1/4” x 21 1/4” – 2006
“It’s the Cowboy Way” – Karlyn Blue Lohrenz
“ A Garden for All Seasons” – 9’ x 30’ This quilt was HUGE!!
“Dance of the Twirly Girls” by Andrea Brokenshire of Round Rock, TX – 43” x 53” – 2018
The detail on these quilts was amazing
“Forest Walk” by Pat Durban of Eureka, CA – 66 1/4” x 85 1/2” – 2010
Again, the detail!

We found one from our hometown – Henderson is part of the Las Vegas Valley

“Go Green” by Deborah Bowers of Henderson, NV
“Port of Cassis” by Lenore Crawford of Midland, MI
Detail view of “Port of Cassis”
This quilt was unique
“Signature Quilt” by Ami Simms
Detail of the “Signature Quilt”
Detail of the “Signature Quilt”
“Pinky” by Danny Amazonas – 37” x 31” – 2017
“Ling-Ling” By Danny Amazonas
Detail of the eyes on “Ling-Ling”
“Ready” and “Choy” by Danny Amazonas
Detail of “Ready” – I like how these random swatches of fabric can make a great picture
“…And Our Flag Was Still There” by Melinda Bula of El Dorado Hills, CA
Detail of the “tattered” flag
“Chasing Bubbles” by Hiroko Miyama and Masanobu Miyama of Chofu City, Japan
Detail of “Chasing Bubbles”
Joel wasn’t too excited about this museum before we went in. He didn’t want to go look at a bunch of quilts.
Afterwards! He thought it was way better than what he expected.

Our time in Kentucky was pretty fun…and we seem to have picked up some of the local slang, y’all.

jj

Who does what here? Honestly, it’s really a good collaboration. We both decide where to go and plan the trip together. Once at our destination, Jeri takes most of the pictures and edits them for our website, though Joel has a much longer arm and is better at taking our selfies. Once the pictures are done then Jeri writes the posts and Joel edits them before they go live. Joel is also the IT guy when things go wrong (but what could possible go wrong when a computer is involved?)

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